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Friday, February 24, 2017

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

- Matthew 5:38-48

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew chapter 5. We began with the Beatitudes, the blessings of the Kingdom. Then Jesus taught about true righteousness for His disciples, the fulfillment of the Law. He then spoke of the statute against murder, and the righteousness of His fulfillment. "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit
adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for
her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to
sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you
that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast
into hell. Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give
her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that whoever divorces
his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit
adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not
swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' But I say to
you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne;
nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is
the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because
you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,'
and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil
one."

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a
tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever
slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone
wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak
also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to
him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn
away." As we continue the discussion of the fulfillment of the Law, Christ's righteousness for His disciples, we turn to concepts of justice. He contrasts the Old Testament (Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, Deuteronomy 19:21), Jesus warns not to resist violence simply with reciprocal violence. Evil, says my study bible, can only be overcome by good, which keeps us free from compromise with the devil and can bring our enemy under the yoke of God's love. What this requires is discernment, a detachment from the merely "worldly" and a depth of bond to God's love.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate
your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who
curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who
spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your
Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good,
and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those
who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do
the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than
others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?" My study bible tells us about detachment and self-mastery. If we're freed from hate, sadness, and anger, we are able to receive the greatest virtue: perfect love, it tell us. The love of enemies isn't merely emotion; it includes decision and action. (See 1 John 4:7-21.)

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." My study bible says this is the summary statement of all that has preceded it. We grow in the perfection of the Father (Ephesians 4:13), which is shown by imitating his love and mercy (compare Luke 6:36).

Jesus' righteousness of the Kingdom doesn't merely go "beyond" the Law in a simplistic sense. What it does is go to the depths of the Law, to the fulfillment of the Law, as He has put it. The purpose of the Law is a good society, good communion, relationships. It begins with the love of God, and through the love of God we learn how we are to love one another. He more or less says this completely, when He tells us, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." We may look at the commands in today's reading and see them simplistically as a formula for being taken advantage of, or for failing to protect ourselves. But I think that is a perspective that separates His teachings once again into "mere commands" and loses sight of what it is to be a part of a communion, to begin with the love of God the Father and to participate in that love. Jesus is not calling for us to present ourselves for abuse. Rather, He is teaching us that our number one priority is focus on God's love and sharing that love. That love also includes discernment and good judgment, not foolishness. To detach from merely reciprocal violence is perhaps the wisest thing one can know, because it allows us not only to judge and discern what might be best in all circumstances, but it also allows us time to seek God's way and not merely to react. That focus enables us to stay within the righteousness of the Kingdom, to live out that discipleship and its priorities, not worldly priorities of vengeance. It is a different sense of justice to seek true discernment and what is best for community -- no matter what the community. There may be those who have harmed and hurt us, but in seeing real need even in such a person, we may discover our circumstances strangely altered -- with an opportunity for showing grace. We hold in mind that God makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. To what purpose for us? In multiple teachings, Jesus emphasizes that we refrain from vengeance, from reciprocal action and aggression. This is the most basic teaching we remember, because it sets us free to find wisdom instead, a better way. In all things, we remember that vengeance isn't ours; that, too, belongs to God (Romans 12:19). Instead we have the God of love to follow, the One who leads us to discernment and wisdom, the better way. None of us is born knowing perfectly how to love. It is a long journey learning to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. But Jesus shows us the way.

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